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US hopeful of fair polls in Bangladesh: Bernicat
Rtv online desk
25 Feb 2018, 00:00
US Ambassador in Dhaka Marcia Bernicat on Sunday hoped that the next national election will be free, fair and participatory, and laid emphasis on creating conditions to make that happen. Reports UNB.
‘This democracy, this Bangladesh, has held free and fair elections in the past. People know what to do,’ she told a small group of reporters after her meeting at the Foreign Ministry.
The US Ambassador said Bangladeshi people do not need foreigners to mediate and it is up to the Bangladeshi people to participate and have a free and fair election.
‘So, can that (fair polls) happen? Yes. Should it happen? Absolutely,’ Ambassador Bernicat said.
She said all the required conditions must be there in place for those who live in a democracy in order to have ‘free, fair, credible and inclusive elections’.
‘You live in democracy, I live in democracy. So, you need freedom of speech, freedom of association and freedom of assembly,’ Bernicat said.
Earlier, she had a meeting with Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque and discussed various issue of mutual interest.
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6 of A Family Killed in Sunamganj
6 members of the same family were killed in the fire incident at the government shelter of Dharmapasha upazila of Sunamganj.
The incident occurred at midnight on Monday (September 30) at Upazila's Shimer Khal area of Joyasree Union.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Mohammad Gias Uddin, Assistant Superintendent of Police of Dharmapasha Circle Ali Farid, and OC of Dharmapasha Police Station Enamul Haque reached the spot on Tuesday (October 1) morning.
The cause of the fire is not yet known.
In this regard, Dharmapasha police station OC Enamul Haque said that the fire incident at the government shelter occurred in the middle of the night. It has been confirmed that 6 members of the same family have been killed. The cause of the fire will be known after investigation.
JCI Bangladesh Launches 'Smile Aid' Oral Care Initiative
To support underprivileged and low-income individuals and provide essential dental care, a free dental camp titled "Smile Aid – Oral Care Initiative" was held by Junior Chamber International (JCI) on Friday, February 27. Organized by JCI Dhaka Ace, JCI Dhaka Impact, JCI Dhaka Premier, and Humanity Services Bangladesh, the camp served 1,000 people in Lalbagh.
Starting from 8:00 AM, this day-long service activity continued until 7:00 PM. With the assistance of 70 dentists, men, women, children, and the elderly participated in the camp, receiving dental treatment. Free services included dental check-ups, extractions, fillings, scaling, and medications.
The event's inauguration ceremony featured JCI Bangladesh's National President Imran Kadir as the Chief Guest.
This free dental camp was supported by Techno Drugs Ltd., Saphire Hotel & Resort, Mediplus Oral Health, Alauddin Sweatmeat & Dreamy Decor by Sanjida.
BNP leader Dr Shahadat Declared as Chattogram City Mayor
Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) canceled the polls and declared former BNP leader Dr Shahadat Hossain as the mayor of CCC.
Alongside, the court also asked to publish a gazette notification in this regard within the next 10 days.
Chattogram Election Tribunal judge as well as Joint District and session judge Mohammad Khairul Amin passed the order around noon.
Arshad Hossen Asad, the plaintiff's advocate, said, "In the case filed by BNP's mayoral candidate Dr Shahadat Hossain over the cancellation of CCC election results, the court declared Dr Shahadat as the CCC mayor examining all the evidence and witnesses. Apart from that the court also ordered the authorities concerned to publish a gazette in this regard within 10 days."
Earlier, on February 24, 2021, the mayoral candidate Dr. Shahadat Hossain filed a case against 9 people including the Election Commissioner.
In the case, the then CCC mayor Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, election returning officer Md Hasanuzzaman, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) KM Nurul Huda, and six others were accused of manipulating election results through the EVM.
It is known from the election sources that the CCC election was held on January 27, 2021, the 'Boat' candidate Rezaul Karim Chowdhury won by getting 3,69,248 votes. In that election, his closest rival BNP's mayoral candidate Shahadat Hossain got 52,489 votes in the symbol of 'Rice Grain'.
Former MP Dabirul Islam Arrested
Dabirul Islam, a seven-time former Member of Parliament of the Thakurgaon-2 constituency, has been arrested.
He was arrested from the house of Awami League leader Alamgir Hossain at Ruhia Thana of Thakurgaon Sadar Upazila on Wednesday (October 2) around 2:30 am.
Confirming the matter, Thakurgaon Superintendent of Police Sheikh Zahidul Islam told the media that he was arrested from the house of an Awami League leader in Ramnath Bazar of Ruhia police station. He was arrested in a case of Baliadangi Police Station. He is the main accused in that case.
Incidentally, there are two cases of extortion, land grabbing, and murder against former MP Dabirul Islam. He is the main accused in these two cases.
4 killed, 10 injured in Tangail Road Crash
Four people were killed and at least ten others were injured in a head-on collision between a bus and a truck in Kalihati, Tangail, in the early hours of Friday.
The accident occurred on the Mymensingh Link Road on the Dhaka-Tangail-Jamuna Bridge road.
The victims were not immediately identified. The injured were rescued and admitted to Tangail General Hospital. Three were reported to be in critical condition.
Nannu Khan, in charge of the Elenga highway police outpost, said the collision took place at around 12:30 am, leaving four bus passengers dead on the spot. 10 were injured. The injured were rushed to Tangail General Hospital. The identity of the deceased is yet unknown."
Meanwhile, the incident caused a traffic jam about 10 kilometers from Elenga to Salla on the Dhaka-Tangail-Jamuna bridge highway.
163 Villages Inundated in Sherpur, Mymensingh
Heavy rains and landslides caused flash floods in several parts of Sherpur and Mymensingh. At least 113 villages in Sherpur's Nalitabari, Sreebardi, and Jhenaigati upazilas and 50 villages in Mymensingh's Dhobaura were inundated. Bhogai and Chellakhali dams are breaking and water is overflowing.
The water level of both rivers started rising last Thursday evening. Garakanda and Nichpara areas of the municipality including Poragaon, Nayabil, Ramchandrakura, and Baghber Union were flooded during the night. Upazila Parishad Square, Sadar Bazar, and lower areas of 40 villages have been inundated in Jhenaigati.
On Friday, around 5,000 people were stranded due to an abnormal rise in the water in the Maharshi and Someswari rivers. About 2,000 people in 13 Rani Shimul and Singabaruna Union villages bordering Sreebardi Upazila of Sherpur have become waterlogged due to heavy rains and landslides. Many roads were submerged in torrential water and traffic was stopped. Aman paddy's fields are submerged.
Meanwhile, at least 50 villages of the upazila have been flooded due to heavy rains and landslides in Dhobaura of Mymensingh, breaking the Netai River dam.
Akhlaq Ul Jamil, Executive Engineer of the Water Development Board, said that due to heavy rains, the Netai River dam was damaged and several areas were flooded. If the rain subsides, the area's water level will likely recede in the next two days. Later the damaged dam will be rebuilt.
Dhobaura Upazila Executive Officer Nishat Sharmin said that the people's representatives of the areas where water has entered have been asked to arrange shelter in primary schools. Actions will be taken to help the victims after the inquiry.
Traffic Congestion in Dhaka / Wasting Around 82,00,000 Working Hours Daily
The traffic congestion in the capital city is wasting around 8.2 million working hours daily. Massive use of private vehicles is responsible for the lack of order on the roads and thus, people cannot enjoy the advantage of rising public transport.
Bangladesh Passenger Welfare Association Secretary General Mozammel Haque Chowdhury revealed this at a press conference at Dhaka Reporters Unity on Sunday (October 6) at 11 o'clock.
In his written speech, he said, "The citizens of the capital are stuck in a terrible traffic jam because of the lack of respect for the rules and regulations of the passengers. It takes more than 4 to 5 hours to go from one end of the city to another. 8.2 million working hours of working people are wasted every day in Dhaka's traffic jams. BUET's information says that the financial loss in this traffic jam is Tk50,000cr every year.
He said, "The capital's public transport system has been broken for ages. Buses and mini-buses operating in the city are discolored with no rear light indicators and front-looking glasses. Can't sit on the seat with two legs apart. The footrests and catch handles are broken, have to stand for long periods. During the hot summer days, the bus is drenched in sweat, and in the rainy season, the bus is still drenched in rain. There is no cleanliness in any buses. Buses are not available at the right time even after enduring the agony of getting on and off the dirty, infested, cockroach-infested buses."
Mozammel further said, 'In such a reality, the able-bodied are buying private cars by taking loans. Others have turned to motorcycle ride-sharing, auto-rickshaws, easy bikes, e-bikes, and smaller vehicles like ride-hailing. As a result, 4,00,000 pedal-powered rickshaws, 6,00,000 battery-powered rickshaws and easybikes, 1,34,000 small ride-sharing vehicles, 30,000 CNG-powered auto-rickshaws are moving freely in the city, along with chaotic buses, the traffic congestion and crowding of the city are increasing extremely. On the other hand, the traffic system to control these vehicles is still outdated. After the change of government, 4,000 traffic police in the city are still inactive. In this situation, modern engineering traffic control system needs to be introduced on an urgent basis to reduce traffic congestion."
"According to BRTA's information, an average of 800 small vehicles are coming down in the capital every day. According to a JICA survey, 60 percent of the daily average 40 million trip passengers travel in Dhaka metropolis use public transport. 67 percent of these passengers use buses only. However, the quality of passenger service of Dhaka City Bus has been lacking quality for the last 20 years. To reduce the traffic congestion in Dhaka, the bus-minibus system must be fixed first. The registration of small vehicles and the movement of these vehicles on the main roads of the city should be stopped," he further added.
Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity has demanded to improve city services in Dhaka city by providing a bus route rationalization system with privileged lanes, removing small vehicles including rickshaws, and easy bikes from the main roads of the city, and scientifically controlling the traffic system.
